Fabio Di Giannantonio secured the tenth position in Friday’s practice sessions at the Italian Grand Prix, capturing the final direct qualification spot for Q2. Despite experiencing physical discomfort during the session, the Italian rider expressed satisfaction with his pace and overall performance at Mugello.
Rider faces physical challenges but remains optimistic about race pace
Di Giannantonio revealed that he was not feeling his best during Friday’s session due to digestive issues, which impaired his condition on track.
“Yes. Yes. It was a positive day for me, for us. We started with things we were testing in Aragón. They worked here too. It’s a pity that I felt really bad this afternoon. I’m still not at 100%. I think maybe I ate something that upset me—digestive issues—so I really felt bad, let’s say, during the session. Luckily, we’re in Q2, so it’s good to already be there. But yes, I think we have a decent pace, especially on used tyres. So I’m very happy with our day today. We definitely need to improve the push with new tyres, with the new soft tyre, because I already have a lot of grip overall. So when I fit a new tyre, it doesn’t change that much for me. We just need to fine-tune for qualifying. But I feel quite comfortable and confident for the race pace.”
Team evaluates new fairing amid ongoing technical comparisons
During the practice, Di Giannantonio was the only rider using the new fairing design, although the team is still conducting thorough evaluations of various technical components to determine the best setup.
“We’re testing some things on the bike. This isn’t the only difference. So we had to compare the bikes. We need the same fairing, and we need that same fairing. So honestly, we’re not yet 100% sure if one thing is better than the other, so we’re still, like, going back and forth, trying different things in different conditions—because it’s like some parts work better in certain conditions, and the new parts work better in others. So we’re still trying to figure out if, overall, the new parts are generally better.”
Encouragement from progress despite uncertainties with new components
Though uncertainty remains regarding the best technical package, Di Giannantonio feels encouraged by the consistent race pace demonstrated so far, even without fully exploiting the advantages that new tyres could offer. His ability to maintain competitive speed despite his discomfort suggests potential for a strong performance moving forward in the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
